Trail Etiquette - Manners on the Run!

Post Contributed by Anna Boom

Recently, I noticed that Japan has started promoting manners. Specifically, signs on the road and at the police station and little neighborhood Kobans (police boxes), state in Japanese, Manners UP!! (I added the extra exclamation point being a very excitable half American!)

I love this idea and wanted to bring it into our group too, for discussion and thought.

Manners UP!

1) When running trail with others, please be mindful of how close you are behind them. As the person following, you set the distance between yourself and the woman ahead of you. In driving, there is a recommended 3 car length separation so that if the car in front of you stops abruptly, you won't crash into their tail end. Same concept on the trail. Avoid running into another woman's tail on trail; keep some distance. Note* below.

2) Music! I love listening to music when I run; it is motivating and I adore belting out the TingTings. That's not my name, that's not my name... But not everyone is on board with this it turns out. To explain further, a fellow WOOTer commented her husband said her playlist was the WORST EVER (don't worry, Amy, I won't tell anyone it was you). If you are alone or are running with someone with the same playlist tastes, please play it loud and strong, but be mindful of those around you. Some women like to come out and chat on trail; others like to come out and hear their feet hit the dirt and the steady rhythm of breathing hard.

3) Pack in, pack out. Make sure you take whatever trash you bring in. Feel like a granola bar or Clif Shot during your long run?  Make sure to pack up the trash so that others don't have to pick up after you.

4) Be friendly and supportive. Okay, maybe this is not exactly trail etiquette but I do feel it is part of our WOOT love and what sets us apart and hopefully why you come and run with us. Our WOOT yogi, Stephanie Ermel said it best when she said something about there being plenty of room for us all at the top. Who better to support you than a fellow running woman that knows exactly how difficult it is to get up and run at 0530 on a Saturday morning while the kids and husband are snoozing away? Along with this, saying hi and being friendly to the Okinawan farmers is always greeted with a responsive wave and smile.

Over a year and a half of running trails together, women!! Thank you for all the great sweat, laughs, tears and fun! And remember, Manners UP!!

*If you are coaching the woman in front of you, and she asks you to push her up the hill, it is another story.